In this new documentary, Forces News takes an in-depth look at the unique tactic of 'Hearts and Minds', 20 years after it was used by the British Army during the Iraq War.
British military commanders and soldiers on the ground in Iraq used the term when working with local people. Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic looks at the origin of the approach, how it was applied in Iraq and asks if it is still relevant today by talking to key military players.
In a rare TV interview, Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb, the British commander in 2003, says hearts and minds “underpins everything I ever did in uniform".
He was Director of Special Forces and played a key role in the development of counterinsurgency in Iraq.
General Lord Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009, explains why winning hearts and minds was so important.
“A counterinsurgency campaign is always going to be about the people. That's why war is in any sense a human activity. It's amongst the people."
The documentary also hears from former soldier and leading war studies academic, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman, on what it was like going into Iraqi homes and schools as troops on the ground put the idea into practice.
The film also explores the impact latterly of the deteriorating security situation.
Colonel Tim Collins, who famously gave a rousing eve-of-invasion speech to his soldiers, compares hearts and minds to taking a course of antibiotics.
“You have to stay and grip it until the problem has gone away and that's quite a long time. If you stop half-way through, withdraw to barracks, you have no control of what's happening."
The documentary Hearts and Minds: A Very British Tactic is available to watch on Forces News YouTube channel now. https://www.youtube.com/@forces_news